Self-centering parallel guide assembly



Oct. 30, 1962 D, A. GLASER ET AL SELF-CENTERING PARALLEL GUIDE ASSEMBLYVL/Z Filed Feb. 21, 1961 60 INVENTORS. Dana/d A. Glaser zeonard 6.Warren ill United States Patent Ofiice 3,061,303 Patented Oct. 30, 1962'3,061,303 SELF-CENTERIWG PARALLEL GUIDE ASSEMBLY Donald A. Glaser andLeonard C. Warren, Emporia, Kans., assignors to Didde-Glaser, Inc.,Emporia, Karts, a corporation of Kansas Filed Feb. 21,1961, Ser. No.90,774 4 Claims. (l. 271-61) This invention relates to structure forproviding parallel guide means thereon for use, for example, with stacksof sheet material and, more particularly, to structure having shiftableguide members thereon which remain in parallelism as the spacing betweenthe members is altered. It is sometimes desirable to provide such asheet guiding means for use, for example, in sheet collating machines.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to providea parallel guide assembly for positioning and centering materials beinghandled, which assembly is provided with a pair of parallel guidemembers which are shiftable relative to a predetermined center linetherebetween, so that the members are always equally andoppositelyspaced from the said line.

Another important object of the present invention is the provision of aparallel guide assembly having a pair of elongated, relatively shiftableguide members thereon, and means interconnecting the members for spacingthe same equally on both sides of a predetermined reference line wherebythe members remain equally spaced from the line upon being shiftedrelative to the latter.

Still another important object of the present invention is the provisionof a parallel guide assembly having a pair of elongated guide membersswingably mounted on a support, and crank and linkage meansinterconnecting the members so that the same are always equally spacedfrom a predetermined reference line on the support disposed between rtheguide members and substantially parallel therewith.

Other important objects of the present invention relate to the provisionof a plurality of elongated legs pivotally mounted on the support andthe guide members at opposed ends thereof for swingably mounting themembers on the support whereby the same may be shifted relative to saidsupport; to the provision of elongated guide members having sidesadapted to support sheet material whereby the sheet material may beplaced in a stacked condition on the members and guided by the latterwhile being moved relative thereto; and to the provision of a pair ofcranks, one for each guide member and each having an arm connected to aleg on the corresponding guide member, which arms are pivotallyinterconnected by an elongated element whereby the guide members aresimultaneously shifted and are maintained equally spaced from apredetermined imaginary center line on the support.

Other important objects of this invention will become apparent as thefollowing specification progresses, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the instant device illustratingthe shiftable guide members thereon adapted to engage sheet material tobe stacked;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the parallel guide assemblyillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The parallel guide assembly which is the subject of this invention, isbroadly denoted by the numeral and comprises a support 12, a pair ofelongated guide members 14, leg means 16 interconnecting guide members14 with support 12 and interconnecting means 18 for interconnectingguide members 14, whereby the latter with a collating machine forproviding a means for stacking sheet material for use with the machine,and further provides a means for stacking sheet material of varioussizes such as are used with machines of the above description. I

Support 12 comprises an elongated plate 20 having a pair of opposedfaces 22 and 24, providing upper and lower surfaces therefor, plate 20as shown in the figures being normally horizontally disposed, but it isclear that the same may be vertically disposed, as well as angularlydisposed. Plate, 20' is further adapted to be placed upon a worktable orthe like, or may be supported by a plurality of legs much in the natureof a table top for operation thereby, with a suitable device such as acollating machine. The center line 26 of plate 20, intermediate opposedside edges 28 and 30 thereof, provides a reference line for a purposehereinafter described.

A plurality of leg means 16 comprise a plurality of elongated legs 32pivotally mounted at one end thereof to the upper face 22 of plate 20,and longitudinally spaced on opposed sides of reference line 26 andproximal to a corresponding side edge of plate 20. To pivotally mountlegs 32 on the upper face 22 of plate 20, a pair of longitudinallyextending, laterally spaced, U-shaped beams 34 are secured to the lowerface 24 of plate 20 in any suitable manner, such as by welding, so thatbeams 34 are substantially parallel with the bight portions thereoffacing outwardly in opposed directions.

Secured to beams 34 at spaced points thereon, are a plurality of sleeves36 having vertically disposed apertures therethrough for receivingelongated pins 38 therethrough, which pins 38 extend upwardly throughplate 20 and project above upper face 22 of the latter. Pins 38 areprovided with enlarged extremities 40 thereon which rest on upper face22 of plate 20 to secure pins 38 against downward travel through plate20, and respective ends of legs 32 are connected to pins 38 adjacent theextremities '40 thereof for rotation therewith by virtue of the rotationof pin 38 relative to sleeves 36. The opposite ends of legs 32 areadapted to be pivotally secured to guide members 14 in a manner to bedescribed.

Guide members 14 are substantially transversely L- shaped and extendlongitudinally of plate 20 on either side of reference line 26 on thelatter. Guide members 14 may be uilized to support sheet material in astacked condition as the same is disposed prior to use thereof in acollating machine. Guide members .14 are each provided with a pluralityof U-shaped brackets 42 secured thereto in any suitable manner, such asby welding or the like, it being clear that the bight portions ofbrackets 42 face outwardly from the respective guide member 14 so thatlegs 32 corresponding thereto, may be received between the opposed sidesthereof. As is clear in FIG. 3 of the drawing, the opposed ends of legs32 are disposed in the region between the spaced sides of brackets 42and are pivotally mounted thereto by virtue of pins 44 passing throughaligned apertures in legs 32 and the corresponding opposed sides ofbrackets 42.

By virtue of the aforementioned construction, guide members 14 arepivotally mounted on plate 20, and by choosing the correct lengths oflegs 32 and the parallel disposition of lines interconnecting pins 38 oneach side of reference line 26, guide members 14 are thereby renderedparallel andmaintained in this condition as guide members 14 are shiftedrelative to plate 20.

Interconnecting means 18 comprises a pair of arms 46. each securedrigidly to pin 38 corresponding to one end of beam 34 on each side ofreference line 26. Arms 46 extend outwardly from the respective pins 38and are pivotally interconnected by an elongated element 48 by virtue ofpins 50 passing through aligned openings in arms 46 and element 48 atrespective ends of the latter. As is clear in FIG. 2 of the drawing, oneof arms 46 extends in one direction relative to beam 34 associatedtherewith, whereas the other arm 46 extends in the direction opposite tothat of the one arm 46 so that the arms 46 and element 48 form asubstantially Z-shaped structure for interconnecting guide members 14.It is, therefore, evident that when one of guide members 14 is shiftedtoward or away from reference line 26, the other guide member 14 isshifted toward or away from the same line and, by virtue of the correctlengths of arms 46, guide members 14 are always equally spaced fromreference line 26 regardless of the spacing between members 14.

As viewed in FIG. 1, as the guide members 14 move outwardly fromreference line 26, the arm 46 adjacent side edge 30, is rotated in acounterclockwise direction and the arm 46 adjacent side edge 28 isrotated in a clockwise sense about the respective pin 38 thereof.Conversely, as guide members 14 move toward reference line 26, arm 46adjacent side edge 30, moves in a clockwise sense and arm 46, adjacentside edge 28, moves in a counterclockwise sense.

To secure guide members 14 in fixed positions relative to reference line26, one of pins 38 secured to an arm 46, is provided with an extension52 thereon, extending upwardly from the corresponding leg 32 to providea pivot for a substantially triangular plate 54 having an arcuate slot56 therein in alignment with a screw 58 carried by a U-shaped supportingmember 60 rigid to upper face 22 of plate 20 in any suitable manner,such as by welding.

A head 62 is threadably mounted over the upper end of screw 58 andengageable with the upper surface of plate 54 for forcing the latterinto engagement with one side of supporting member 60 to precluderotation of plate 54 and thereby extension 52 of pin 38 adjacent sideedge 30 and one end of beam 34. By preventing the rotation of plate 54,and thereby the associated pin 38, guide means 14 are prevented fromshifting relative to reference line 26 and, therefore, the same are heldin a fixed position for utilization thereby with sheet material of agiven size.

It is clear therefore, that when guide members 14 are free to shiftrelative to reference line 26, the spacing between line 26 and eachguide member 14, remains the same as the spacing between reference line26 and the other guide member 14, regardless of the position of members14 relative to plate 20. Assembly 10 may, therefore, be used with sheetmaterial of various sizes, thus making it especially suitable withcollating machines or the like.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a parallel guide assembly, a support; a pair of elongated guidemembers; a plurality of spaced legs rotatably carried by said supportand pivotally secured to said members for mounting the latter on saidsupport in parallel spaced relationship, said members being shiftabletoward or away from a predetermined line parallel therewith and disposedtherebetween, there being an extension rigid to one of the legs securedto each member and disposed at an angle thereto, the outermost ends ofsaid extensions being in spaced relationship; and elongated meansoperably coupled with the outermost ends of the extensions on said legsfor interconnecting the latter to space the members by equal incrementsof distance from said line and to maintain said members equally spacedfrom said line as said members are shifted relative thereto.

2. In a parallel guide assembly, an elongated support having asubstantially flat surface; a pair of elongated guide members; aplurality of elongated, longitudinally spaced legs for each member andpivotally mounted at the ends thereof to the support and the respectivemember for shiftably mounting the latter on said support, said membersbeing substantially parallel and movable toward and away from apredetermined line therebetween and parallel therewith; a pair ofelongated arms each rigidly secured at one end thereof to a leg on oneof said members for rotation therewith; and an elongated elementpivotally secured at the ends thereof to the opposite ends of said armsto interconnect said members with the latter spaced equal increments ofdistance from said line, said members being maintained equally spacedfrom said line by said element as said members are shifted relative tothe line.

3. A parallel guide assembly comprising an elongated support; a pair ofelongated guide members; a plurality of spaced legs rotatably carried bysaid support and pivotally secured to said members for mounting thelatter on said support in parallel spaced relationship, said membersbeing movable toward and away from a predetermined line therebetween andparallel therewith; a pair of arms each rigidly secured at one endthereof to a leg on one of said members for rotation therewith; and anelongated element pivotally secured at the ends thereof to the oppositeends of said arms to interconnect said members with the latter spacedequal increments of distance from said line, said members being andmaintained equally spaced from said line by said element as said membersare shifted relative to the line.

4. A parallel guide assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein is includedmeans on one of the legs for securing the latter and thereby said guidemembers in a fixed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

